The concept of regional cooperation in the Carpathians is addressed on a legislative basis by the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians, the Carpathian Convention. This document was signed in May 2003 by seven Carpathian States (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Ukraine).

To institutionalize cooperation and coordination of the Carpathian countries in nature protection, IUCN Member the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic received funding by the Norwegian government for a Carpathian Network of Protected Areas (CNPA) and Ramsar Sites. This has allowed to initiate common projects between several protected areas (twinnings, partnership agreements...), to integrate the local population in sustainable local and regional development, to lead a reflection on the forms and types of protected areas with the national and international authorities and to support training activities.

State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic is a unitary governmental organization for the implementation of nature and landscape protection in Slovakia, established in 2000 as an advisory body of the Ministry of Environment.

Read more about the Slovakia’s national achievements and challenges related to the implementation of the Carpathian Convention, here.